Calderon hits U.S. from House floor

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Calderon also called on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban. “I fully understand the political sensitivity of this issue,” Calderon said. “But I ask Congress to help us with this and to understand how important it is you enforce current laws to stem the supply to criminals and consider reinstating the assault-weapon ban.”

Some 24,000 people have been killed in Mexico’s drug wars since Calderon took office in December 2006. He said the increase in violence coincides with the expiration of the ban in 2004.

Calderon said that there are 7,000 gun shops along the southern U.S. border and that more than 80 percent of the weapons the Mexican government seizes come from the United States.

“Today, these weapons are aimed by criminals not only at rival gangs but also at Mexican civilians and authorities. With all due respect, you do not do enough to regulate [weapons] sales, and nothing guarantees that these criminals will not decide to challenge American authority and civilians” in the future, he said.

The assault-weapons ban prohibited some types of semi-automatic rifles, pistols and other military-style weapons, along with large-capacity magazines. It expired in 2004, and its reinstatement faces intense opposition from the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups.

Cornyn and King also criticized Calderon for attacking U.S. gun policy. “The Second Amendment is not a subject open for diplomatic negotiation with Mexico or any other nation,” Cornyn said.

President Barack Obama threw cold water on the idea of pushing for the ban during a visit to Mexico last year.

“I continue to believe that we can respect and honor the Second Amendment rights in our Constitution, the rights of sportsmen and hunters and homeowners who want to keep their families safe to lawfully bear arms, while dealing with assault weapons that, as we know, here in Mexico, are helping to fuel extraordinary violence,” he said during an appearance with Calderon. “Now, having said that, I think none of us are under the illusion that reinstating that ban would be easy.”

Obama has been pushing Congress to work on comprehensive immigration reform and has criticized the Arizona law as “misguided.” The Justice Department has announced it is reviewing the Arizona law for potential legal challenges.

Calderon’s speech came at the conclusion of a state visit that has been fraught with tension over immigration reform and the Arizona law. The issue even bled into the traditionally nonpolitical events arranged for the first ladies of Mexico and the United States. At a visit to a local school with Mexico’s first lady, Michelle Obama took questions from second-graders. “My mom said that Barack Obama is taking everybody away that doesn’t have papers,” one girl said.

“Yeah, well, that’s something that we have to work on, right? To make sure that people can be here with the right kind of papers, right? That’s exactly right,” Michelle Obama said.

Arizona’s law, which requires police to ask people for papers if there is a “reasonable suspicion” they are in the country illegally, was in part a reaction to escalating drug-related violence along the state’s largely rural border with Mexico

If you get the chance, see the video of the interview with Wolf Blitzer yesterday. Calderon blathers about how evil the AZ law is, then Wolf asks him about what Mexico does when someone illegally sneaks into Mexico from some OTHER country. Without missing a beat, Calderon talks about how they are challenged for "papers," then if they are in the country illegally they are jailed and deported.

But that should have no bearing on what mean ol' Arizona does, no sir.

The really sad thing is that Calderon was by far the better of the two candidates running for president of Mexico a few years ago.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón called on Congress Thursday to revive the assault weapons ban in an effort to reduce violence along the southern border.

Hey, Foolipe, you have just made up my mind for me.

Today in your honor, I will go buy an "assault weapon." And plenty of ammo.

I saw it on consignment a few days ago, and was thinking about getting it but not sure if I wanted to drop $2000.

I'm going to buy it and give it to my formerly-Mexican cousin-in-law, who as I write this is putting all of her keepsakes from Mexico in the trash -- except for a Mexican flag, which has been wrapped around the welcome mat at their front door, under the sign urging visitors to wipe their feet.

SHE is a REAL American, and if you weren't so corrupt, she might still be a Mexican citizen instead of an American citizen.

I hope that whoever replaces B-Student Barak in 2013 makes his first foreign trip to Mexico City, where he can trash your country from your lawn as you have trashed our country from our lawn.

This guy runs a totally disfunctional country, corruption laden gov't yet he comes to the US and lectures us?

Whether pro-gun or not everyone needs to understand a simple fact: The average citizen can't buy fully automatic weapons, hand grenades, and crew served machine guns in the US. These are the type of weapons being used with greater and greater frequency by the drug lords in Mexico. Does one seriously think that those smuggling billions of dollars of drugs into the US and billions in currency out, are going to be hindered by the US assault weapons (however you define them) ban? Not hardly. Talk about ignoring the 800 lb pink elephant in the room (inept government and corruption) to focus on a topic Pelosi probably asked him to champion, This is like complaining that the neighbor's dog is barking and demand it be muzzled while you ignore the fact your own house is on fire.

The United States should immediately halt its current immigration policy and enforcement, which has been criticized by virtually every nation, politician and activist, especially Mexicans. Instead, the US should enact and vigorously enforce the Mexican Immigration Law, which has not been the subject of criticism by anyone. The law should be printed in both English and Spanish, since so many of the people who would be affected by it speak and read only Spanish. Since enforcement of the Mexican law in the US would result in hordes of detained persons, camps would have to be established along the border, from which people could be relocated to Mexico in an orderly fashion. The protection of the border to enforce the Mexican law, and detention and relocation of illegal immigrants to Mexico would require the use of the US military. The US troops who are currently in South Korea, protecting the border with North Korea, have been the subject of protests in both North and South Korea. They should be brought home and stationed along the border with Mexico. Viva the Mexican immigration law!

Talk about total hypocracy. They have almost a total ban on any weapons in Mexico, which is obviously working extremely well. El Calderone seems to have been "home schooled" by Obama as he wants to hang the blame on others. He has lied about immigration laws in that Mexico's own immigration laws make ours look pale in comparison AND they enforce theirs. The last confiscate weapons the Mexicans blamed on us was a collection of fully automatic heavy military weapons like gun shops cannot touch. Hey, I just came up with an idea. Hear me out! Why don't we elect a government in 166 days that would enforce our federal immigration law that has been on the books for 58 years? That would totally eliminate the problem that shouldn't have happened in the first place.

“My government does not favor the breaking of the rules. I fully respect the right of any country to enact and enforce its own laws. But what we need today is to fix a broken and inefficient system,” he said to applause. “We favor the establishment of laws that work – and work well – for all.”

what the hell is he talking about? his government clearly favors the breaking of rules. it does NOT respect the right of the united states to enact and enforce its own laws. he has spent considerable time lecturing arizonians about their recent law.

he only favors the establishment of laws that work well for illegal immigrants.

disgusting to watch the democrats and obama applaud him. NEVER will i vote for a democrat again.

“My government does not favor the breaking of the rules. I fully respect the right of any country to enact and enforce its own laws. But what we need today is to fix a broken and inefficient system,” he said to applause. “We favor the establishment of laws that work – and work well – for all.”

what the hell is he talking about? his government clearly favors the breaking of rules. it does NOT respect the right of the united states to enact and enforce its own laws. he has spent considerable time lecturing arizonians about their recent law.

he only favors the establishment of laws that work well for illegal immigrants.

disgusting to watch the democrats and obama applaud him. NEVER will i vote for a democrat again.

Mexico arrests anyone who enters its territory illegally. Every other Latin American country does the same. But, the President of Mexico has condemned Arizona for passing a law to arrest anyone who is apprehended in Arizona that is in the USA illegally. And, virtually all of the Hispanic organizations in the USA have condemned or are protesting against Arizona for passing a law to do that. And, even the US Government is condemning the Arizona law. But, neither those same Hispanic organizations in the USA, nor the US Government, have condemned or protested against Mexico or the other Latin American countries for doing the same thing that the Arizona law provides for. Accordingly, it clearly is not the provisions of the Arizona law that are at issue. The issue is that it is acceptable for Latin American countries to arrest people that are in their countries illegally, but it is not acceptable for a non-Latin American country, specifically, the USA, to do that. Accordingly, in order to have a law such as the one at issue, Arizona needs to declare itself a Hispanic state. If it did, then it would be all right to arrest anyone who has entered its jurisdiction illegally. In fact, Arizona could go a step further, and declare itself an ISLAMIC Hispanic state. That would enable Arizona to imprison or execute anyone in its territory that it sees fit, without any fear of condemnation by the US Government, Hispanic groups, civil rights groups, or the UN.

Calderon needs to pack up his 20 million ILLEGALS AND TAKE THEM HOME ON THE WAY OUT..HE JUST DOESNT WANT TO FEED OR TAKE CARE OF THEM, JUST DUMPS THEM HERE. how dare HE tell us what to do.. how dare HIM talk about arizona...9000 AMERICANS DIED LAST YEAR BECAUSE OF HIS ILLEGALS !! FREE LOADING BUMS.....!

Mexico arrests anyone who enters its territory illegally. Every other Latin American country does the same. But, the President of Mexico has condemned Arizona for passing a law to arrest anyone who is apprehended in Arizona that is in the USA illegally. And, virtually all of the Hispanic organizations in the USA have condemned or are protesting against Arizona for passing a law to do that. And, even the US Government is condemning the Arizona law. But, neither those same Hispanic organizations in the USA, nor the US Government, have condemned or protested against Mexico or the other Latin American countries for doing the same thing that the Arizona law provides for. Accordingly, it clearly is not the provisions of the Arizona law that are at issue. The issue is that it is acceptable for Latin American countries to arrest people that are in their countries illegally, but it is not acceptable for a non-Latin American country, specifically, the USA, to do that. Accordingly, in order to have a law such as the one at issue, Arizona needs to declare itself a Hispanic state. If it did, then it would be all right to arrest anyone who has entered its jurisdiction illegally. In fact, Arizona could go a step further, and declare itself an ISLAMIC Hispanic state. That would enable Arizona to imprison or execute anyone in its territory that it sees fit, without any fear of condemnation by the US Government, Hispanic groups, civil rights groups, or the UN.